Arizona GOP lawmaker wants to limit 'no right on red' restrictions. How? More bureaucracy

One of Arizona's most conservative lawmakers wants to make it harder to ban motorists from turning right on red lights.

Arizona law already allows the maneuver in intersections unless a sign prohibits it. But a bill sponsored by state Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, would make the process tougher for state and local governments to put up such signs.

"Everything's less government with me," said Kern, an Arizona Freedom Caucus member who was photographed on the steps of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. He's running for Congress while under investigation by the state Attorney General's Office for his role in falsely claiming he was a legitimate elector for former President Donald Trump in 2020.

While state statute requires only a sign, House Bill 1299 would add a layer of bureaucracy to banning right turns on red. Authorities couldn't put up the sign unless an engineer who's registered with the state conducts a documented evaluation showing an intersection is "unsafe either at all times or on specific days and times."

"Right now, cities and towns are kind of willy-nilly putting up no right on reds," Kern said about his House Bill 1299 during a March 13 hearing at the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. "It’s kind of a pain in the rear end."

Kern's background and conservative politics didn't stop three Democratic lawmakers from voting in favor of the bill, which cleared the committee with a 9-2 vote after it passed the Senate last month with only GOP votes.

Kern said he got the idea for the bill from Jay Beeber of the National Motorists Association, who spoke in favor of it in committee hearings.

Beeber is the executive director for policy for the Wisconsin association. He told The Arizona Republic he wasn't sure if Arizona cities and towns were banning right turns on red lights "willy-nilly," referencing blanket bans in Washington, D.C., and some states. He said he's heard discussion of a general ban on the turns while serving as a member of the city of Phoenix's Vision Zero Community Advisory Committee, which is part of a nationwide program to reduce traffic fatalities.

"It's a bipartisan, common-sense bill," Beeber said, saying he only recently met Kern and would have pitched the bill to lawmakers of either party.

When a no-turn sign makes "absolutely no sense" to drivers, he said, "it reduces the effectiveness of the sign." In other words, drivers may tend to turn right in violation of the law, even though doing so puts them at risk of a citation for running a red light. The proposed law would only codify an engineering study for intersections, which is already considered the best practice under state and federal guidelines.

Arizona Department of Transportation guidelines currently state a prohibition on right turns on red lights needs to be approved by an agency traffic engineer, Beeber pointed out.

Other Republicans indicated support for the bill. Rep. David Cook, a Globe Republican who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he realized he should bring the bill up for a vote while exiting the freeway recently in Tempe and seeing a "no right on red" sign. The intersection looked clear and a driver in front of him turned right in violation of the sign.

Two Democrats in the recent House committee hearing criticized the bill and voted against it.

The ADOT rules make the bill "very unnecessary," said Rep. Keith Seaman, D-Casa Grande.

Rep. Patty Contreras, D-Phoenix, said the decision should be left up to municipalities, which she said were likely "best at making this determination."

Three other Democrats on the 11-member committee joined with Republicans in voting for the bill. It's now headed for a vote by the full House. If approved, it will go to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.

Phoenix Vice Mayor Debra Stark told The Republic no statewide law is needed to help traffic engineers decide what's best for the city.

"If they do their job right, they're going to make sure we have safe roads, she said. "I mean, it's not just about traffic enforcement, it's also about engineering roads properly so both pedestrians and vehicles can be compatible."

Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Republican turns to bureaucracy to combat 'no right on red'